Is Mold Hiding on Your Roof? 5 Places Most Homeowners Forget to Check

Mold is invasive, creeping in when you least expect it. On a roof, it’s a very unwelcome guest. If you don’t schedule regular roof maintenance, you might miss it and it could spread. A lot of mold can destroy your roof and the supporting structures underneath it.

Where to Look for Mold on a Roof

Mold likes to go where there’s a smooth surface to attach, although it may cling to a shingle or two. Look near your chimney, if you have one. It will show up near the base of the chimney where it joins the roof and at the top of the chimney where there’s openings into the flue. Also look where water can collect and sit. Mold likes to be where it is most damp, and standing water areas are ideal, particularly when they dry out just enough to allow the mold to grow.

Also check near the eaves. A lot of organic debris collects in the gutters and hangs out near the eaves. Mold eats that up as food and reproduces, taking root in the eaves and sometimes in the gutters too. If you regularly clear out the gutters and keep them flushed, there will be less food for the mold. Any shingles that have buckled or peeled back is a good hiding spot for mold as well because mold likes darkness more than sunlight. Buckling shingles or shingles peeling back have little areas for mold to hide and grow.

If You’re Not Sure, Having a Roofing Pro Check

If you aren’t sure you can accurately spot mold on your roof, ask a roofing contractor to come take a look. The contractor will be able to spot it no matter where it is hiding. Then you can get a mold treatment to kill it and address the causes for its growth.